Homily

I saw a television commercial last week, a couple of times, and it really caught my attention. It was about a man named Joby Ogwyn, from California, and he's going to make a jump with his glider suit. I don't know if you have ever seen a video of a person in a glider suit, but the idea is the same as flying off a cliff hanging on to a glider. But instead of holding on to a glider, when you wear a glider suit, the suit itself is the glider, with webbing between the body and the arms and the body and legs that provides lift you need to go literally flying through the air for a good amount of time, if the winds are right. Kind of like a flying squirrel.

So the commercial is to let us know that Joby Ogwyn is going to be making a jump in his glider suit, live on May 11th (weather permitting) on the Discovery Channel -- and he will begin his flight by jumping off of Mt. Everest!! When I heard that I became so angry and frustrated! Why, oh why, had I not thought of that first? I never seem to be the first with a great idea. But what really caught my attention was when he said something to the effect of, "I'm not like most people. I'm not afraid to die."

So I started wondering why he is not afraid to die. Is he suicidal? Is he crazy? Is he a man of deep faith? I did the Google on him. I could not discover why he is not afraid to die. Here's a quote from Joby: "I'm very scared. I think it's the fear of death that keeps you above that. But I'm not afraid to die. I am not afraid to live life on my own terms. And this is my dream and I am willing to risk everything to make it happen." I have no clue what he is trying to say here. But if he is correct that he genuinely and truly lives life on his own terms, he must be living a life without love, because if you love someone, you cannot live life on your own terms. There is always someone else to consider, to think about, to interact with, to serve, to enjoy, and to sacrifice for. If you love, the terms you live by just can never be yours alone. Perhaps it is because he has no one to love that he is not afraid to die. Perhaps because his life is empty in this way, empty of love, that he does not fear losing that life. I don't know, and haven't been able to find out more.

We here today are not people who are committed to living our lives on our own terms (so no Mt. Everest for you!) We are tied to the people we love, and we have commitments to them in different ways, important ways. In fact, we celebrate today most especially our commitment to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Who came for our salvation because of His great love for us, sent to us by His Father Who so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son to us, and for us. We love Him. We serve Him. We follow Him.

Joby and his glider suit, fearless in the face of death, apparently, reminded me of a film I saw recently, called, "Of Gods and Men." It is a French film that came out in 2010, and it is based on the actual events surrounding the last days of nine Trappist monks in Tibhirine, Algeria. The Trappists had a monastery there since the late 19th century when it was still a colony of France. The film shows us the monks and their relationship to their Muslim neighbor around the mid 1990's. Brother Luc is a doctor, and he runs a clinic for the village residents, who mostly live in simple poverty. There are some other Muslims from this Muslim village who work for the monks, and all the monks have great relations with these their neighbors, despite the fact that they are French and Christian.

Then trouble comes. A civil war broke out in Algeria in 1992, and several Islamist groups fought against the corrupt government, which was largely influenced by the military. The anti-government forces were also anti-French and wanted a government based on strict Muslim principles. They were armed and used terrorists' tactics to intimidate the government and anyone else who stood in their way, or refused to support them. In the film, we learn that one village man tells a few of the monks about how a young female relative of his was pulled off a city bus and killed on the sidewalk because she did not have a scarf on her head. "What kind of people would do such a terrible thing?" he asks the monks. Then one day, a group of Croatian workers, not far away, and known to the monks, was attacked by one of the rebel groups and murdered. Foreigners were special targets of these militants. Now the monks realize their lives may be in danger.

The government offers the tiny monastery protection, but the monks refuse. If the regular village people cannot be protected, why should they seek special protection? Then the question comes up for the monks. Should we stay, or should we go back to France? There was no question that their lives might be in danger, just as there was no question that any of their neighbor's lives could be in danger from these militants. But obviously as French and Christian the monks were larger targets. Some of the monks vote to stay, some vote to leave. The prior, Fr. Christian is hoping everyone will stay. Some of them are naturally afraid for their lives. The film then begins to show how, over time, with prayer and grace and counsel, all the brothers decide to stay. Fr. Christian says, "We need to show the people we have hope." He wasn't talking about hope that they would survive. He was talking about hope in God's promise, hope in Jesus Christ. Talking to another monk who was struggling with the idea of staying, he told him, "You cannot lose your life. You already gave it to Jesus." What an inspiring thought! So I must ask how much of my life have I given to Christ? "He who wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." (Mt 16:25)

This is why we are not here today dreading the day of our death. We are here today to rejoice in the gift of our life, and to praise Him Who has trampled down death for all who believe in Him. The Trappists of Tibhirine are great examples of the Resurrection faith and its power for those who live within it.

On March 27, 1996 at 1:00 a.m., 20 armed men of the organization called the "Armed Islamic Group," or GIA, kidnapped seven of the monks. (Two other monks escaped by hiding.) The GIA wanted one of their leaders released from prison in exchange for the Trappists' release. Two months later on May 21st, the GIA reported they had executed the brothers. The Algerian government on May 31st announced that they had found the monks' heads, but not their bodies. Although the GIA takes responsibility for the deaths, there is also intelligence that the Algerian army accidentally killed them. At present there is no overwhelming proof of who actually killed them.

There is no doubt that at least some of these Trappists were afraid to die. But their love was greater than their fear, and their faith was stronger than hate and bullets and Muslim fanatics. They did not live life on their own terms. In fact one of the monks quotes Jesus' words when he reminds the others that, "No servant is greater than his master." Joby Ogwyn will jump off a mountain and that's what catches the attention of the world. It's flashy, dangerous and soon forgotten. "Christ is risen from the dead . . ." is not flashy. It is a cosmic-altering truth. It is not dangerous; it is the source of our salvation. It is not soon forgotten by us. It can sustain us every day and inspire us to great deeds of love until our last breath where we will, if God be merciful, find the Lord of Life with His open arms.